[Reader-list] Geelani announced one Article of the Constitution of Free Kashmir - its "Liquor Policy"

[Shuddhabrata Sengupta]

Well, on these grounds, Syed Ali Shah Geelani is more moderate than  
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who advocated total prohibition,  
(regardless of whether one was or was not a believer in any religion)  
and was even against the drinking of tea. Does that mean that we  
think that his vision of 'Ram Rajya'  would be identical to what  
Aalok Aima considers to be an Islamic state?

Incidentally, the state of Gujarat, has consistently imposed total  
prohibition in deference to M.K. Gandhi's ideas on prohibition for as  
long as it has existed as a state of the Indian Union. So, as per Mr.  
Aima's suggestion, would we now be prepared to admit that Mr. Modi's  
Gujarat (and the Gujarat of all his predecessors) is the closest we  
have come to having an 'islamic State' in India. Oh no, the closest  
we actually came to being an Islamic state in India was actually  
during Morarji Desai;s prime ministership, when some of the current  
champions of Hindutva were in power, when total prohibition was  
imposed on all of India. In fact we came even closer than the vision  
of SAS Geelani, which at least allows the 'non-believer' his or her  
daily tipple? Incidentally, Mr. Geelani went on to suggest that if a  
bottle of alchohl belongiing to a non believer was willingly or  
unwillingly damaged by a Muslim, then the state would have to  
compensate the non-believer for that damage. I haven;t quite heard of  
an Islamic state willing to pay people to drink alchohl (if their  
bottle has been damaged). He went on to quote an 'aayat' that said -  
"Muslims, do not insult even the idols (but) of the idol worshippers,  
for they will insult your God in return" and that the obligations of  
humanity are binding in our relations even with those we consider to  
be our enemies.  Interesting stuff, coming as it does from the man  
who is so offen held up as a figure of inflexible bigotry.

By the way, none of this means that I agree with Mr. SAS Geelani;s  
vision of the future. I am merely stating the facts that I  know and  
witnessed.

best

Shuddha


On 22-Oct-10, at 2:38 PM, cashmeeri wrote:

>
> Geelani announced one Article of the Constitution of Free Kashmir -  
> its "Liquor Policy":
>
> http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a176267.html
>
> "The system of justice in an independent Jammu and Kashmir would be  
> such that even liquor would not be banned for non-Muslims. It would  
> be prohibited fo......r the Muslim majority but if minorities feel  
> they want to have liquor they would be allowed to consume as their  
> right,"
>
> Hello!!!! Hello!!!!
> I thought it was going to be a Secular Free Kashmir. This sounds  
> suspiciously like an Islamic Free Kashmir.
>
> Interesting prospect : Free Kashmir ..... no Non-Muslims ..... no  
> Liquor
>
> Maybe it is the "Tourism Policy"
>
> ............. aalok aima
>
>
>
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net